… of the Week (#15):

This week – Phrase of the Week (#2):

So I thought it would be nice, for a change, to look at the origin of another well known, if somewhat socially inurned, phrase.

Pig’s Ear

To make a pig’s ear of something is to make such a mess of a project that the result is considered useless. The phrase dates back to the Middle Ages when, if a craftsman – or more often the apprentice – was to make something so badly that it could not be used, it was called a pig’s ear. During this period in British history, it was considered that the only part of a pig which was completely inedible and unusable in any way was the ear.

… of the Week (#14):

This week – Word of the Week (#13):

 

esculent

n. A thing, especially a vegetable, fit to be eaten;

adj. Fit to be eaten; edible.

… of the Week (#13):

This week – Word of the Week (#12):

soss

v. To fit lazily on a chair; to fall at once into a chair.

If anybody’s reading, sorry for the break in posts, I’ve not had the best of times lately. I am hoping that I’m back on track now, although my coursework levels are set to soar again tomorrow, so don’t hold it against me if I’m not quite able to spring back into positivity (never really my strong suit anyway if I’m honest).

New Year Blues

I don't really have the time to write this - to much Uni work still to do. However, I've just had a panic attack and am trying to stave off the next one.

I'm aware that people in the past have permanently stopped reading my blog because of posts like this, and I'm quite happy for you to stop doing so too, although my only query would be 'why are you here in the first place?' This site was originally set up, as a part of my therapy, as a place where I could let rip in a way that I never could in person or in a diary. So, posts like this basically fulfil that remit, and if you don't like it, you are quite welcome to leave or silently curse me, but please don't post comments about how I should pull myself together/stop whining/get on with it etc. because doing this in this limited arena is aimed at helping me do just that in the real world.

Frankly, I don't care if no one reads my blog, for me it's all about the potential for anonymity, and although I am quite often really personal, this feels somewhat more detached. On here I can focus on my grammar and spelling, and the blog layout. It is precisely that focus - which I cannot achieve in conversation, that helps me to lessen the effects of a panic attack.

Of course, if you are reading this, then welcome and thank you very much. I am not completely anti-readers - on the internet that would be pretty stupid - it's only ignorant people that I don't like, but then I'm sure you're not. I'm also not anti-comments, and if you have some advice, some (constructive) criticism of myself or my blog, or just generally want to say hi, then I'd love to hear from you.

I had meant to do a bumper edition of ... of the Week this week, to make up for the silence over Christmas, but this will have to wait, as I really should be getting on with my coursework. I am very stressed, and this has probably contributed to the panic attack, not helped at all by finding out that I failed the last piece of (easier) coursework for this unit. I'm in a bit of a low state in general right now, and next week I think I might talk to my tutor about leaving/taking some time off, but I have two deadlines before that and so I'd better get on.

If you've made it this far, thank you and congratulations. Your prize is the answers to my Christmas Tree quiz, and my Word of the Week: Trepidation.

... of the Week (#12):

This week - Word of the Week (#11):

boffin

n. Possibly an acronym taken from the Armed Forces, meaning 'Back Office Intelligence'.

The etymology of this word is actually uncertain, but I have presented my personal favourite theory. Having had this word levied at me as an insult for the majority of my school career, this post is aimed at reclaiming it as a positive word. I was always proud to be called a boffin, and I would like to think that this definition may help others too.
If you are unsure of how to use it, think of it as the original English version of the now commonly used Americanism - geek.

This post is a couple of days late due to a horrific coursework load, sorry about that. Apologies also for the somewhat lacklustre words lately, I will soon be returning to London and the majority of my books, so hopefully I'll be able to share some more unusual/fun words over the Christmas period.

... of the Week (#11):

This week - Word of the Week (#10):

sesquipedalian

n. Given to using long words. Related to sesquipedalia which means a very long word (often described as a foot and a half long.

… of the Week (#10):

This week – Word of the Week (#9):

groggy

adj. Unwell or run down – generally as a result of having had too much to drink.

In 1740 Admiral Vernon, the commander in chief of the West Indies replaced the neat rum which was then issued to all sailors twice daily, with a watered-down version. The Admiral was well-known among the sailors of the fleet, with a nickname of ‘Old Grog’*, and the unhappy men soon began calling the new watered-down rations ‘Grog’ in his honour. It wasn’t long before the ever-inventive general populace extended this name and started referring to those sailors under the influence of said Grog as grog-y, which then became the word that we (well me anyway) know and love today.

I use this word quite a lot as I am always pretty ill, although unfortunately I rarely have the enjoyment of being drunk first. Hope you like it, it sometimes seems almost onomatopoeic (if I can corrupt the word) in the way it describes that feeling of, well, grogginess…

 

*Grog was a nickname attributed to him on account of a Grogam coat (made of a mixture of mohair and silk) which he invariably wore.

... of the Week (#9):

This week - Word of the Week (#8):

usquebaugh

n. The water of life. A compounded, distilled, aromatic spirit; the Irish sort is particularly distinguished for its pleasant and mild flavour. The Highland sort is somewhat hotter; in Scottish they call it whisky.

mmm, whiskey...

… of the Week (#8):

This week – Word of the Week (#7):

This week’s word was actually the first, and by far the most successful, word that I picked when restarted this experiment a while ago. That was before I decided to share my experiences in this with t’ interweb, and I can’t resist picking it again. So, back by (my own) popular demand and dedicated, with thanks for the memories - past and yet to come, to David;

evagation

n. The act of wandering.

… of the Week (#7):

This week – Phrase of the Week (#1):

This week, instead of just the one, I am giving you a whole bunch of words of the week. I’ve even strung them together to form a real phrase. Just to shake things up a little.

Bad (or Good) Egg

19th Century. To describe someone as a good or bad egg is to suggest that they are decent, reliable or dependable (or not as the case may be). The expression bad egg came first and was used in 1855 in Samuel A Hammett’s novel Captain Priest. The analogy used in the book draws on the fact that an egg can appear on the outside to be fresh, and yet when the shell is broken it may turn out to be rotten inside.

At the beginning of the 20th century, some students began reversing the phrase and describing decent people as good eggs.

I am a fan of this pair of phrases, and I have tried over the years to incorporate them into my vocabulary – I seem to remember my friends at school remarking on it when we were younger… I hope that you can find a chance to use one (or both) of them this week.

... of the Week (#6):

This week – Word of the Week (#6):

This week we have a slightly more contemporary word:

mummerset

n. An invented English dialect that mimics the stereotypical English Westcountry accent (it is not, however, specific to any particular county).

The name is a play on words: the combination of "mummer", a slang term for a folk actor, and the name of the largely rural county of Somerset.

Anyone who’s heard Round the Horne will know this accent from a character called Rambling Syd Rumpo. These days though, it’s probably better recognised – particularly among my friends – in phrases such as “a’right my luvver” when spoken by non-native Westerners.

Apparently I have lately been subconsciously using this accent, saying words such as “foin” instead of “fine”… I really hope that folk will have a play with this week’s word, even if it’s adopting the meaning rather than the word itself.

... of the Week (#5):

This week – Word of the Week (#5):

There is a possibility that this week’s word might become personally relevant to me soon, but for today I picked it on the basis that it sounds quite nice.

whiffle

v. To move inconstantly, as if driven by a puff of wind.

.. of the Week (#4):

This week – Word of the Week (#4):

This week sees another offering from Samuel Johnson (It’s the only book I brought back to Bristol with me, so we’ll probably hear a lot from him). I really like this word and I hope that it’s one that you guys will have a go with during the next week.

gad

v. To ramble about without any settled purpose; to rave loosely and idly.

... of the Week (#3):

This week – Word of the Week (#3):

Short one this week, dedicated particularly to one of my cousins (snowingindoors – see the links on the sidebar) who has set herself up in business in this corner of the market.

kindergraph

n. Photograph of a child.

From the German kinder – child, and the Greek graphikos – picturesque.

... of the Week (#2):

This week – Word of the Week (#2):

This week it’s an offering from Dr. Johnson, and was again chosen to be vaguely relevant – this is not a general trend in my method of electing a word, it’s just that in the last few weeks, when it came to picking the new addition to my vocabulary, relevancy seemed to be the appropriate avenue to take.

So, in honour of my brother’s receipt of Rose Kemp’s new album:

geason

adj. Wonderful

Apologies for the lack of regularity, the last few weeks have been somewhat up in air. I am, however, soon to be returning to Bristol for the new academic term, and I hope to be a more reliably consistent poster – the aim being to provide another place of refuge from the day-to-day life which can pall after a while if not interspersed with a little of the minor, yet interesting, obscurities which provide, if not the backbone then perhaps the funny bone of our society.

All comments and content suggestions welcome. No, encouraged.

... of the Week (#1):

This week – Word of the Week (#1):

So, recently I have been indulging in a little fancy. Every week I have been picking a word - generally one out of common use, and giving myself a week to try it out and see how it feels. On the whole it's been pretty fun, and I'd like to share the experience.

Quite often I use a book that I have which contains a selection of Dr Samuel Johnson's definitions. However, this week I have decided to post a rather more relevant word, which the world seems to have almost desensitised itself to. These days this word carries with it an aura of flippancy, and I have used it myself in that sense, but for students, especially those with health issues like me, it has a very particular pertinence:

failvb
1. to be unsuccessful in an attempt.
2. to stop operating.
3. to judge or be judged as being below the officially acceptedstandard required in a course or examination.
4. to prove disappointing or useless to someone.
5. to neglect or be unable to do something.

This word will probably last a fortnight, but I promise the next one will be better/funnier, and at some point I may mix it up a bit with some new phrases or origins of myths etc.